Pancreas I Flashcards
How does acute pancreatitis occur?
Patho physi starts with intracellular activation of enzymes and local and systemic disease results from inflammatory processes and enzyme injury
Describe the morphology of the cells in the pancreas
90% are acinar cells which are protein/enzyme-synthesizers in the pancreas which are secreted as inactive proenzymes in membrane enclosed vesicles to prevent damage to the cells
What is SPNK-1?
An inhibitor produced in the pancreas designed to prevent activation of trypsin from trypsinogen
How are pancreatic enzymes stimulated to be released from acinar cells?
Either via Gs (cAMP) via VIP or Gq (Ca2+) via Ach secondary messengar pathways that promote exocytosis of vesicles in the pancreatic lumen to be circulated to the GI
It is generally accepted that the earliest event in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis is what?
the conversion of pancreatic zymogens to their active forms within the acinar cell.
Co-localization of ZG and lysosomes cause enzymes like cothepsin B to activate trypsin from the zymogen granules which then stimulate autodigestion of the acinar cells
How does early activation of pancreatic proteases cause a localized inflammatory response?
Proteases activate complement, causing recruitment for C3a and C5a and thus PMNs and macrophages. These cells then release cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-1, PAF, and NO which produce vascular injury and inflammatory responses
So how do the local effects of acute pancreatitis present clinically?
There will be pancreatic swelling and liquid extravasation due to inflammatory induced swelling as well as local fat necrosis and hemorrhage leading to pain that raidates to the back and N/V
Acute pancreatitis= FAT necrosis
Islets are typically spared until it becomes very severe
Hemorrhage can occur if vessels are digested!
More hemorrhage here and islet destruction
What mainly causes the fat necrosis seen in acute pancreatitis?
lipase production
Obviously if pancreatic enzymes reach circulation, the initial local inflammation caused by acute pancreatitis will become widespread. How is this prevented?
Circulating enzymes, such as a1-antitrypsin, which inactivates proteases, and a-macroglobulin, which binds to circulating trypsin and facilitates monocyte clearance of the complex, prevent systemic spread
What are the signs and mediators of a poorly contained pancreatitis?
fever, malaise, and confusion via TNFa and Il-6 activation
Hypotension via kallikrein activation
DIC and hemorrhage via thrombin activation, and elastase and chymotrypsin activity
hypoxemia via activation of phospholipase A2 which damage surfactant
hypocalcemia from calcium binding to circulating lipids via a fat saponification process
What percentage of pancreatitis events become disseminated?
Only about 20%
Acute pancreatitis
What are the main causes of acute pancreatitis?
gallstones and EtOH
What are the main symptoms of acute pancreatitis?
abdominal pain that radiates to the back, N/V
How is acute pancreatitis diagnosed?
Two of the following Three required:
- abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting
- Notably elevated serum amylase and lipase more than 3x upper limit of normal
- CT imaging showing pancreatic inflammation